Category Archives: E. R. Torre Art

Sketchin’ 106

It’s been, needless to say, a very long month.

Feels like my head has been alternately in the clouds and under the ground.

Time does heal and the pain and confusion are less… though my days seem to be filled with so much to do.

I did manage to carve out a little time to revisit one of my nostalgic favorites. Hope you enjoy it!

Buster Crabbe, the king of the serials and the first man to play both Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers!

Sketchin’ 105

Released in 1955, This Island Earth may not be considered a top tier science fiction film from that decade but it was a decent, I thought, work with quite good effects for its time. It also, I have to admit, had its share of cheese, which was fully exploited by the folks at Mystery Science Theater 3000, using this film as their “subject” for their theatrical film, released in 1996.

Again… Happy Halloween!

Sketchin’ 104

Released in 1928, the tragic love story The Man Who Laughs, starring Conrad Veidt (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Casablanca), was based on a Victor Hugo novel and appears, at least nowadays, to be a somewhat forgotten film… except for one very important element: The character of Gwynplaine, the titular and tragic “man who laughs”, was the visual inspiration for Batman’s arch enemy The Joker!

Happy Halloween!

Sketchin’ 102

Here we have Louise Brooks (1906-1985) the actor who perhaps most embodied the female sexuality -and hedonism!- of the Jazz Age…

Ms. Brooks’ movie career lasted between 1925 and 1938, with perhaps her best known role being in the 1929 film Pandora’s Box.

I highly recommend checking out her biography on Wikipedia (you can read it here) which presents the good -then very bad- times she went through in her life, only to be rediscovered in the 1950’s and, hopefully, spending the rest of her life from that point in more pleasant circumstances.

A fascinating lady, a fascinating life.

Sketchin’ 100

Wow… the big 100!

Today we have Carolyn Jones, best known for playing Morticia Addams in “The Addams Family”, as Marsha, Queen of Diamonds as she appeared on the Batman TV show!

Ms. Jones was the second member of the Addams Family to appear on the Batman TV series. The first was Ted Cassidy who appeared in a window cameo as Lurch, and the third was John Astin, Gomez Addams, who played an alternate Riddler… hmmm… maybe next?